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Jun 18, 2008; Gulf of Mexico, USA; President George W. Bush has urged Congress to lift the ban on offshore oil drilling and that Congress allow drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, clear the way for more refineries and encourage efforts to recover oil from shale in areas such as the Green River Basin of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. REP Presidential nominee John McCain stated in his campaign earlier this week, 'We have proven oil reserves of at least 21 billion barrels in the United States, but a broad federal moratorium stands in the way of energy exploration and production. And I believe it is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions and to put our own reserves to use.' Opponents of offshore drilling say it would harm aquatic ecosystems by eroding wetlands, contaminating the water with chemicals, polluting the air, killing fish and dumping waste. Pictured: Offshore oil rig drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico just outside of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Marianna Day Massey/ZUMA Press. (
